White Light
by Saigon238
Summary: AU. 10 years ago, when they were still en pointe.


Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me, much as I hate the fact.

* * *

The air was alive with energy in the Academy of Performing Arts dance studios. Rehearsals for the annual ballet performance of Swan Lake were beginning, and after a long, intense period of auditions and waiting, the results for the roles were out at last.

"Oi, Juushiro!"

The young man with white, spiky hair turned around to greet his friend, Ishida Ryuuken. He was a lanky technician-in-training, with ruffled blonde hair. As usual, his glasses were slightly lopsided and he had the same silly grin on his face.

"Hey, Ryu. What's up?" he said easily.

"You're Prince Siegfried for the performances! I just found out a while ago," Ishida babbled on excitedly, "I'm so happy for you!"

Ukitake smiled. "Thanks, Ryu. Do you know who's going to be playing Odette and Odile?" He just _had_ to know. After all, they were going to have to be partners for the rest of the season. And he hoped that it was a certain somebody.

"Hmm… I think it's that new soloist. You know, the one that was just promoted last month?"

"You mean, Unohana Retsu?" Ukitake asked, pretending to be surprised. Inside, he was silently satisfied. He had suspected that she was going to be chosen to play the role. After all, she was the _best_ dancer there ever was. But then again, he was extremely biased when it came to her.

"Yeah, that's her!" Ishida's smile brightened.

_Yes! It's really Retsu! It's her!_ Ukitake was silently overjoyed that she was going to be his partner, but he kept it to himself. Instead he put on a façade of dubiousness. "Is she going to even be able to dance such a complex role? It's usually only given to principal dancers or one of the senior soloists. She's only been a junior soloist for less than a month, and they usually don't have the needed range of dramatic ability and technical prowess," and frowned. _Oh great, why am I putting on this stupid show again?_

"I don't know. If the director thinks that she's good enough, then she's good enough, right?" Ishida shrugged. "Oh, and you sound like you're quoting stuff from a textbook."

Ukitake groaned. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me that I sound like an old man…"

* * *

"Hey, Retsu!"

A girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail looked up from her stretches at the barre.

"Oh hi, Hakumo! Long time no see!" she smiled at the small brunette that had just greeted her.

"Oh my god, do you know that you were chosen to be Odette and Odile? That is like, that most _amazing_ thing that could happen! I'm so proud of you!" Hakumo started squealing in excitement, "I was chosen to be one of the cygnets too! This is going to be such an awesome show!"

Unohana was really surprised. She wasn't expecting a junior soloist such as herself to be given such a big role. "Well, congrats! This is your big break as a corps de ballet! Who knows, you might be promoted to coryphée after this one!" she smiled.

"Ah, Unohana-san, there you are!" came a loud voice all the way from the other side of the room.

Unohana turned around to see the director of the ballet company, Sasakibe Choujiro, striding towards her. She bowed respectfully and greeted him, "Good morning, Sasakibe-san."

"I would like to have a word with you in my office. If you don't mind, Hanako-sensei, I will borrow Unohana for a moment," he smiled at the choreographer beside the piano. She smiled back and said that she didn't mind in her usual soft tone. Unohana smiled slightly. Sometimes she thought that Sasakibe-san and Hanako-sensei had some sort of romantic relationship going on.

"Please, take a seat," he waved to one of the armchairs scattered around the room. Unohana obediently sat down in front of the director's desk, and prepared herself for a lecture. Most probably about her role in _Swan Lake_.

"You must be wondering why I chose you to play first cast for Odette and Odile." Unohana nodded.

"Well, your dancing ability is already surpassing some of the senior soloists, and it is only the dramatic acting that you have problems with. But even then, you are most spectacular with some roles," Sasakibe praised. Unohana bowed her head to hide her blushing face. It wasn't often that the director complimented somebody. Then his expression became serious.

"If you were only playing Odette, you would be marvellous. However," the director stopped pacing the room and stopped behind his desk. His light amber eyes scrutinized her dark blue ones. "Odette and Odile are complete opposites, and yet they are danced by the same ballerina. You are going to have to work hard on your part as Odile."

He smiled again, "But then again, you don't need to worry too much because your partner is going to be Ukitake Juushiro, one of the most talented dancers of your generation! I expect nothing less but the highest quality from you two in Act I and IV!" She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Naturally, everything came back to Shiro in the end. Especially if he was going to be her partner.

"Now, off you go, back to class!" he dismissed her. She bowed again and walked out the door.

* * *

When she got back to the studio, Unohana relayed everything that happened in the office to Hakumo. "So, you didn't get into trouble at all?" she asked anxiously.

Unohana just laughed. "Of course I didn't! I hadn't done anything wrong!"

Suddenly a silence descended over the dance studio. They could hear footsteps coming from outside the door. Whispers broke out amongst the corps de ballet and coryphées. It was the principal dancers and senior soloists. They were treated like gods in the ballet company, and most of the junior corps de ballet worshipped them. Especially Ukitake Juushiro. Why? Because he was 1) the youngest, 2) the most talented, and 3) according to the juniors, the best-looking.

"Oh my god, it's him!" Hakumo started whispering excitedly. Unohana just rolled her eyes. Hakumo could act just like one of those juniors sometimes, and she was already a senior corps de ballet, almost a coryphée. "It's Ukitake! You're really lucky to be his partner, Retsu!"

Unohana just smiled and whispered thanks. She really didn't get why everybody was so hyped up over him. They used to be in the same class even back in middle school and were really close friends, but then they joined K-ballet. He ascended through the ranks really quickly, and soon became a principal dancer when she was still a coryphée. Their social standing in the ballet company drifted farther and farther apart, and they saw less of each other.

Unohana was still reminiscing about the past when Prince Charming himself walked in with the rest of the elite dancers. Hakumo hurriedly whispers goodbye and leaves to practice with the other coryphées and corps de ballet, bowing politely to the other soloists on her way out.

Ukitake took his place at the barre next to Unohana and gave her a small smile before they started the exercises.

"Hi, Retsu," he whispered, "Long time no see."

"Hey Shiro," she replied in an equally quiet tone, "Nice to see you again." She returned his smile and it set butterflies off in his stomach. Now all he needed to do was get through the class without a major nervous breakdown. _May the torture begin.

* * *

_

A few weeks after rehearsals started, Hanako-sensei announced that the pas de deux training would begin. All the solo parts and variations were flawless when Unohana was dancing as Odette, but now it was time to dance as Odile and the Black Swan pas de deux. Unohana was perfect with being Odette in all the dances, and her technical and artistic skills in the White Swan pas de deux with Ukitake were flawless, but she was having serious problems with her part as Odile.

"No, Retsu-chan!" Hanako-sensei sighed exasperatedly. "You have to be more cunning and seductive in your dancing!"

Unohana was at her wits' end with her part as Odile. Why couldn't she dance it well? Ok, so her technical ability was near perfect, with just some stumbles with the thirty two _fouettes_, but she couldn't, just couldn't express Odile's emotions! She felt like banging her head into the nearest wall, but her instinct for self-preservation stopped her.

"But Hanako-sensei, I don't know how!" Unohana outburst during one of the rehearsals. "I don't feel like I have anything in common with her."

Ukitake, who was just practicing his _pirouettes_ stopped in the middle of his tracks and stumbled when he realised it. That Unohana was just as pure and innocent as Odette was, like an angel. There was nothing, _absolutely nothing_ about her that was tainted or corrupted.

"Ukitake."

He turned around to face the door. The director was standing outside, beckoning to him, and they walked down the corridor into the director's office.

* * *

"Ukitake, you will have to change partners for a little while."

Ukitake was stunned. He didn't want to swap Unohana with anybody. After so long, he finally got to partner up with her again, and now he had to change? But that little conversation was only on the inside. On the outside, he appeared to be quite calm over his inner emotional turmoil. "Why is there going to be a change?"

The director massaged his temples and sighed. "Unohana needs to have a taste of how Odile feels in real life, and the best way is for her to observe how Odile dances. She is going to swap with Haruki."

Ukitake raised an eyebrow. "Haruki? You mean, Fujioka Haruki?" She was a principal dancer who was far more advanced in terms of both technical skill and dramatic ability than most ballerinas in Japan, and she had danced the parts of Odette and Odile many times before. He had met her a few times, and he couldn't say that he particularly liked it.

Ukitake didn't really agree with this decision. Haruki was a rather pushy and demanding ballerina, and nearly all her partners had complained of the abnormally high standards that she set. But if it was for Unohana, he was willing to do it.

He sighed. "Alright then. I'll do it." The director just smiled. It wasn't always that Ukitake didn't put up a fight over cast changes.

* * *

"What?" Unohana was shocked.

She looked up from the note at Hanako-sensei. She looked sympathetic over her student's loss, but there was nothing that she could do about it. "Well, orders are orders, Retsu-chan! Not even I can do anything about it."

Unohana was now second cast as Odette and Odile. And she had only just found out that her replacement was Fujioka Haruki. She didn't have any problems with that, but with Ukitake not doing anything about it, she felt a little hurt and jealous.

_Wait, what am I being jealous for?_, she mentally reprimanded herself. _I should be happy that Fujioka-senpai replaced me instead of another ballerina. After all, she is one of the best dancers in Japan._

However, no matter how much she repeated that in her head, there was no denying that she was still slightly upset over the sudden change. She _wanted_ the role of Odette and Odile. She had been working so hard to become a soloist, and now the most important role of one of the best ballets had been stolen from her.

_No wait, stolen? It wasn't stolen. Fujioka-senpai is better than me and that is that!_ But she still hadn't convinced herself.

Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't about the role. It was about having to share Ukitake with someone else.

She brushed the thought away quickly and closed her eyes. _No way. I don't think of him like that. We're just friends. But I really want that role!_ When she opened her eyes, there was a glint of steel in there for the first time in a very long time. She wanted to take back her place as first cast. And nobody was going to be able to stop her.

Ukitake, who was just standing outside the door, felt that small change. He smiled slightly to himself. She was learning a bit more about Odile.

* * *

Unohana still trained with the other soloists and principal dancers with the solo pieces, but not as often with Ukitake in the pas de deux. Instead she watched him dance at the sidelines, watching him dance with Haruki, always awed by the seemingly effortless dancing as Odile.

Haruki really was an amazing dancer. Her thirty two _fouettes_ were always perfectly executed, turning crisply on the spot without any stumbles or travelling. Each time she danced the pas de deux, it was like watching it for the first time all over again. Nothing, but the idolizing awe.

Unohana decided to ask her for help. After a practice session, she caught Haruki just before she went into the changing rooms.

"Fujioka-senpai, can you _please_ teach me how to do the thirty two _fouettes_ without fault?" Unohana bowed deeply, waiting anxiously for her response.

Her answer came surprisingly quickly. "Of course, Retsu-chan! Come on, let's get started."

Unohana looked up at Haruki's smiling face and gave her a small smile. They worked on the _fouettes_ diligently, starting from the most basic single turns. Haruki pointed out every fault gently and corrected her posture. She didn't bark and screech at her like some of her old instructors, but was more like a kindergarten teacher, always careful with their students' emotions.

After an hour, Unohana succeeded in turning all thirty two without failure or stumbling. She beamed at Haruki, who applauded her progress. Haruki had never seen such a talented ballerina before. Nobody that she had taught mastered all thirty two in just an hour.

"Fujioka-senpai, can I ask you for one more favour?" Unohana asked shyly.

"Of course! What is it?" Haruki smiled kindly.

"Can, can you teach me how to dance like Odile?" Unohana stuttered a little.

Haruki had had a feeling that that was coming. She shook her head with a sad smile. "I'm afraid not." She felt sympathetic at seeing Unohana's crestfallen expression, and continued, "You can only learn how to dance like Odile through experience. You have to have the same sort of feeling as Odile before you can portray her in any performance."

Her expression became slightly more cheerful. "I have never seen anybody perform Odette the way that you do. They have been the best performances by far that I have ever seen in my entire life as a professional dancer." Unohana brightened up a bit.

"But you still can't dance Odile. It's an artistic challenge of the highest order, the hardest obstacle to overcome on the way to becoming a prima ballerina," Haruki continued firmly but kindly. "The same person has to dance the roles of two people. It's enough to make anybody short of a soloist go insane."

"Then how do I overcome that obstacle?" Unohana's tongue slipped and the question came out without warning. _Oh great, now I just sound pushy._

Haruki just smiled mysteriously and said, "No matter how high you reach, the barrier just becomes higher. It's a boundary that can be broken, but very few have succeeded. You are very close though." And with that, she picked up her stuff, and left Unohana in the practice room.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Unohana borrowed DVDs from her friends and watched many, many videos of Odile. They never ceased to amaze her with their technical ability and dramatic ability, especially when comparing those dances with the ones in which they perform as Odette. The dancers seemed to become completely different people while performing the different roles.

Then it hit her. It was because Odette and Odile _were _two different people! She smacked her forehead with her palm. She was so stupid! It was an obvious fact and yet she hadn't noticed! _Stupid Retsu._

To become Odile, she had to forget all about being Odette. Simple as that. _But how?_

She was still pondering that question when somebody knocked on her room door. She opened it and was greeted by the sight of a slightly ruffled Ukitake.

She giggled. "Looks like somebody woke up on the wrong side of life."

He grinned sheepishly. "Shut up and stop teasing me, Retsu. Anyway, how are you doing?"

Unohana raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, how am I doing? I'm perfectly fine, as you can see."

"Well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for swapping Haruki with you, and I know how much you wanted this role, and I apologize for taking it away from you," he said this all very quickly.

"Whoa, slow down, Shiro! It's fine with me, really." She smiled at him. "Fujioka-senpai _is_ more experienced, after all." Her smile faded slightly. "I still can't become Odile yet…"

Ukitake nodded sympathetically. He knew how hard Unohana was working to dance like Odile. Sometimes, he just felt like stopping her from working so hard. But he couldn't interfere. Not yet.

He turned around and started to leave. "Sorry, I have to go and meet up with the other principal dancers now. We need to talk with the techies and costume designers about the upcoming performances." Ukitake made a face. "Gah. Why can't they just go without me? See you soon!" and with that, walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Unohana felt strangely hurt that Ukitake had chosen to go with the others instead of staying with her. It wasn't fair. He _never_ had time to talk with her anymore. He was always off with the other principal dancers, having some sort of meeting or the other. She walked over to her bed dejectedly, flopping on top of it.

Ukitake walked down the corridor, feeling a little guilty about leaving her alone when she needed him. _Don't worry, it's all going to be over soon. Stay strong, Retsu._ There was just a little more to be done until she was ready to become Odile.

* * *

The next day, Unohana was walking down the corridor to go to the practice studio. She was relieved to see that she was the first one there, and was just about to walk in when she heard voices coming from the other side of the door. She peeked through the gap in between the doors in curiosity.

Inside were Ukitake and Haruki, warming up already. She relaxed and was just about to open the door to go in when she overheard part of their conversation. Her eyes widened when she figured out that they were speaking about somebody. Her, to be exact.

Ukitake was in the splits position, and asked, "Retsu is really improving isn't she?"

"Yeah, she mastered those turns in an hour!" came a gentle voice. Haruki. "It's the first time I've seen somebody do that so quickly."

"Well, that's Retsu for you. She's an absolute genius!" Unohana smiled a little at Ukitake's boasting tone.

"Obsessed with her, are you?" Haruki asked teasingly.

Ukitake's face promptly turned red. Haruki just laughed at Ukitake's expression. "Oh, if only you could see your face!" Unohana saw Ukitake's tomato-red face in the mirror, and she blushed too when the full meaning of the sentence sank in. _He's obsessed with me?_

"Hey, it's not really that hard to see through! Even when you were in the Academy, you were always crazy about her!" Haruki continued to tease Ukitake.

"Sh-Shut up!" Ukitake stammered. "What are you, some kind of stalker?"

"I think I'll pass that one," she said mock-thoughtfully. Then her expression turned more serious. "I know why you wanted to swap me as the first cast, you know."

Ukitake was the epitome of surprise. "What?" he asked innocently.

"She just wasn't working as Odile. She didn't have the right emotions for it. She didn't _know_ how Odile thought! So you thought you would be able to show her a bit of those feelings by swapping me around right?" Haruki's voice rose slightly in volume.

Ukitake hurriedly shushed her, "Be quiet! People will find out if you keep talking so loudly!"

Haruki sighed. "You do know that it's not going to go well if you keep up this façade…" She eyed him steadily, and he avoided her gaze. "She's ready. I know it."

"Are you sure?" Ukitake asked anxiously. "I don't want to push her too hard in the performance."

Haruki visibly snapped. "Of course I'm sure! How many "Odiles" do you think I've produced? She's ready!" A mischievous but kind grin spread across her face. "And I think you should come in now, Retsu-chan!"

_Drat. _Unohana blushed furiously at being discovered and walks in sheepishly through the door, playing with strands of her hair.

"Ara, Retsu-chan, it's not good manners to eavesdrop!" Haruki scolded playfully. "Well? Do you feel ready to become Odile?" she asked.

Unohana shrugged. She wasn't too sure about it yet, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt she had something in common with Odile's character. "I guess… I've felt jealousy; I've wanted more power, more strength. Does that make me more like Odile?"

Haruki's smile widened so much it practically stretched from ear to ear. "It's your turn to take the stage, dearie. Now let me go and tell the director."

She flounced out the room, whistling cheerfully to herself, and left Ukitake and Unohana alone in the room.

* * *

An awkward silence settled between the two. Neither of them knew how to break it, and they just stood there, fidgeting.

Unohana didn't really know what to make out of the previous conversation, about Ukitake liking her since they were in the Performing Arts Academy. They were only friends back then, right? Ok, really, _really_ good friends, but not dating or anything. They didn't have feelings for each other like that. Right?

"Erm… Retsu?" Ukitake spoke first, his voice echoing around the empty studio. "Would you like to dance the Black Swan pas de deux with me?"

"Ok," she agreed after a second's hesitation.

They started dancing, Unohana digging up her memories of jealousy and wanting to be better, and pouring them out into the steps. This dance felt different from before. She glanced up at Ukitake coyly, making him blush like mad. Now she knew. She wasn't the same Unohana Retsu. She was now more powerful, and she had the control in this dance. Prince Siegfried was supposed to fall for Odile under her spell of dancing right? Now she was going to make Ukitake Juushiro, her very own Siegfried, fall for her Odile. Even though she preferred to be Odette.

Haruki and the Director stood in the middle of the doorway, watching them dance.

"Unohana really has come a long way in such a short time, ne?" the director commented. "Thank you, Haruki. You've helped a lot."

"Nah, it was all her," Haruki replied. "All she needed was a small push in the right direction, that's all. She would have done it eventually."

After the Black Swan pas de deux was over, they went back to the White Swan pas de deux in Act II, Unohana becoming Odette, the innocent and pure Odette, once more. Ukitake thought that she really hadn't lost her old touch as Odette, even though she had come so far as Odile. Unohana just felt really happy to become Odette again, even though dancing as Odile had become rather enjoyable. After a bit more thinking, she came to the thought that, _in fact, dancing as anybody is enjoyable, as long as it's with Shiro. Wait, what?

* * *

_

A few days after the last performance, all the tension and panic had evaporated into thin air. Ukitake and Unohana had danced their best throughout all the performances, each jump easy, each spin fluid and controlled, and each lift and hold was flawless.

"Listen up, everybody!" The director burst into the practice studio waving a bunch of papers in his hand, flushed with excitement. "We're going to Paris!"

Everybody started whispering and muttering in confusion. Paris? What about Paris?

"We got so many good reviews on our last performance that we've been invited to tour Paris with _Swan Lake_! All the famous dancers in the world will be there! Even Alessandra Ferri!" His eyes sparkled in anticipation. She was a _prima ballerina assoluta_, the highest and rarest possible rank and title that could be given to a ballerina. "Isn't this exciting?"

The entire studio, which was filled with everybody in the company, was silent for a few seconds, nobody daring to believe what they had just heard. Or rather, not comprehending what they had just heard.

Somebody screamed. Not soon after, cheers, gasps and cries of joy joined it. They were going to Paris to perform in front of the _ballet goddess_, Alessandra Ferri! All the corps de ballet started hugging each other, some of the soloists started crying and everybody smiled. Daiichi, one of the junior soloists, started doing grand jetes all over the room.

"Yes! We did it!" Ukitake picked up Unohana and spun her around. He felt amazing! This was her big break! A turning point in her dance career! And he felt great for it.

He whispered in her ear, "Meet me after training in here okay?" She was still dizzy with joy and the spinning when he asked her, and she nodded mutely.

"Well, chop chop everybody! We have work to do before we get to _Paris_!" the director left with a flourish. The giggling and gossiping corps de ballet went next door for their rehearsals, and the remaining dancers walked over to the barre to warm up. As usual, Ukitake stood beside Unohana.

* * *

Unohana fidgeted nervously with the hem of her skirt. Ukitake should have arrived ten minutes ago, and he was _never_ late.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Retsu." Finally, he decided to make his appearance.

He was smiling nervously, and seemed very jumpy. She got up from the floor and smiled back sweetly.

Ukitake's almost forgot how to breathe when he saw it, but he kept his blush under control. _Thank god…_ He couldn't risk making any mistakes now, not when he was so close.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to calm down. When his eyes opened again, the usual carefree air was gone, and was replaced by a serious look. "Do you remember the promise I made to you back in the Academy?"

Unohana thought a bit about it. Ah, right. That promise.

_Unohana and Ukitake were still students at the Academy of Performing Arts. They were walking down the corridor together after watching a demonstration of the White Swan pas de deux._

"_Ne, Shiro?" Unohana asked._

"_Hmm? What's up?" Ukitake replied. Was there something wrong with her?_

"_D-Do you think that we'll ever be able to dance like that?" _

_Ukitake frowned. "Of course we will! If we try hard enough, we'll get there eventually."_

_She chewed her lip nervously, a bad habit that she didn't seem to be able to break. "I-I'm not sure... I was never any good at pas de deux work."_

_He sighed. Sometimes, she was so self-doubting. "One day, you'll become the best Swan Queen there ever was, and I'll be Prince Siegfried, dancing with you, okay?"_

_Unohana looked at him, her eyes wide. "Promise?" and held out her pinky._

_Ukitake smiled reassuringly. "Promise." He took her finger and wrapped his own around it._

_She smiled and said, "Then it's a deal!"_

"Yeah, I remember that promise. So what about it?" Unohana replied.

Ukitake fished something out of his pocket. It was a small red box. He opened it carefully. Unohana peered inside. Inside was a ring in the shape of a swan.

"Unohana Retsu, I've always liked you, ever since middle school, even. And that was when I first met you." He smiled nervously again, "I don't know if you ever even liked me, but still…" He got down on one knee. Unohana suddenly knew what was coming. "Will you marry me?" His tone was so genuine that Unohana nearly melted.

Unohana was still a little shocked at this sudden event, but pleasantly so. It was interesting to see Ukitake show his emotions after locking them away for so long.

Looking back, she realised that she had also liked Ukitake for just as long, only without noticing it. He was always there for her, in dance, in life, in anything! She knew her answer. There would only ever be one answer.

"Yes, I will, Juushiro." She beamed. He relaxed and smiled, a real smile this time, grinning widely. He hugged her tightly, burying his head in her hair.

"Thank you, Retsu!"

Applause and wolf-whistles came from outside the door. The rest of the company burst in, led by Haruki. Ukitake and Unohana were stunned by the sudden interruption and quickly disentangled their arms from each other.

"I knew it, I knew it! You had the hots for her!" Nakamura cackled with glee. Who knew he would have been capable of such an evil laugh?

Hakumo flew at Unohana and positively glowed. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Retsu-chan is getting _married_!"

"I knew you would show her one day! I knew it! Oh yeah, and I caught you two kissing after the last performance you know." Haruki squealed.

Both of them blushed bright red and started to scold Haruki for spying.

"Hey, you lot! Didn't I tell you to give them some peace?"

The director ran in, all sweaty and panting. Everybody started giggling at his dishevelled appearance. He silenced them with a glare that could have put Hitsugaya to shame and apologized to Unohana and Ukitake for their rude interruption.

"I'm really, really sorry, you two! But they just _had_ to make a dramatic appearance and I couldn't stop them!" He bowed in embarrassment and wheeled around to face the rest of the crew, steam almost pouring out of his ears. "You people, get outside! Office, now!"

He shooed everybody outside, despite their protests, and locked the door from the inside so nobody could get in.

When it was finally quiet, Ukitake offered his hand to Unohana.

"Shall we dance?"

Unohana took it and said, "Of course." The new ring glinted in the sunlight, sparkling brightlyly bright.

They started dancing the White Swan pas de deux again. A dance of innocent love.

* * *

How's that? It's not great, but pretty good, huh? It's the first part to my "Dance With Me" series (I changed the order). Summer is only 2 days away, so then I'll have plenty of time to make the next part. Just wait for it. It'll be better, I swear.

Thanks a million to Philyra for inspiring me with her stories, although mine are nowhere near as awesome. They're great! If you haven't read them, I suggest you do.

Reviews and constructive criticism would be great! Thanks!


End file.
